wut

I have been thinking of a number of theories:- Early spring break (agreeing with LisaFX)... the silver lining could be that April might end up being a bit better if some are taking the break now- Heat wave in much of the US (may have prompted people to take days off and enjoy the unusually nice weather)- St. Patrick's Day extended weekend (OK, so that one's a stretch.)

So funny. Here in Florida a heat wave makes spending time outside nearly unbearable. I forget that "heat wave" actually means nice outdoor weather for much of the country

I'd give anything to live in a place with such climate, where only occasional heat waves force ppl to stay home. Of course not me, 35C don't bother me at all

lisafx

I'd give anything to live in a place with such climate, where only occasional heat waves force ppl to stay home. Of course not me, 35C don't bother me at all

You can have it. The heat waves aren't occasional. From mid June through early September the heat here in Tampa Bay is absolutely suffocating. And the Gulf of Mexico is bathwater warm. No point in going out in the summer at all. Winter's great here though, so at least the glass is half full

wut

I'd give anything to live in a place with such climate, where only occasional heat waves force ppl to stay home. Of course not me, 35C don't bother me at all

You can have it. The heat waves aren't occasional. From mid June through early September the heat here in Tampa Bay is absolutely suffocating. And the Gulf of Mexico is bathwater warm. No point in going out in the summer at all. Winter's great here though, so at least the glass is half full

I guess it depends greatly where you live in FL. As I understand, the climate in Miami is lovely, sure, summers are hot and humid, but from what I've heard the conditions are usually (during the summer) not described as suffocating. What about going to the beach, there's always some breeze to cool you and if you sip on a mojito or something similarly refreshing, it should be quite enjoyable. Or even that doesn't help?

I have another theory, why it could be unbearable for most Americans to go out during the summer. You're used to have the AC set to LO all the time, wether you're in a bar, car, at home, in a restaurant. Friends have been in LV, Miami etc during the summer and even though there was 45C (in LV), the temperature in all closed environments was just 16C or so. That's 30C of a difference and I know doctors etc don't recommend setting the temperature (in a car for instance) less than 8C lower than it is outside, but preferably only 4-6C. You could suffer a stroke otherwise. And most friends got sick during their holidays in the states. Or in Mexico, it's recommend to take a sweater with you on the bus, because they bump the AC to the max everywhere. So most ppl get sick in America during the summer, ironically. You usually also drink everything with a ton of ice. Why is that so, setting the AC to such low temperatures? Is it because of lawsuits? A broke a sweat in your restaurant I demand to be reimbursed!

lisafx

I guess it depends greatly where you live in FL. As I understand, the climate in Miami is lovely, sure, summers are hot and humid, but from what I've heard the conditions are usually (during the summer) not described as suffocating. What about going to the beach, there's always some breeze to cool you and if you sip on a mojito or something similarly refreshing, it should be quite enjoyable. Or even that doesn't help?

You are absolutely right about depending on where you live. I lived in Miami for 16 years prior to moving here. Even though Miami is almost 300 miles further south than we are, their climate is much milder. Being on the Atlantic coast, rather than the Gulf, gives a much cooler ocean breeze. Also, being on the tip of the peninsula, there is a great cross breeze all the time. Even the hottest summer months, Miami is much more temperate than Tampa.

The people in Tampa area are much friendlier though, and there is a lot less crime where we live here. So there are always tradeoffs. If you decide to come to Florida in the heat of summer, though, I suggest the Atlantic coast.

It seems a bit slow on the sub side although I have 3 EL's this month which is not the norm for me. I'll catch one maybe every other month. I still think that SS is playing with the search algorithm to find their sweet spot....just my thinking

I am in agreement with you that they are making changes to the search engine and I think the changes they are making to the site are affecting sales as well as review times. Historically September, October, November and March are my best months, however this year they are significantly down even though I have been uploading more than I have in past years. I think they are messing with the most popular search and those images brought in a good portion of my sales. That coupled with the fact that there are major bugs and new images are getting fewer sales means less downloads for my port in general; regardless of the month.

« Last Edit: March 21, 2012, 23:19 by gbalex »

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rubyroo

« Reply #57 on: March 27, 2012, 01:22 »

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Now that the month's nearing it's close, I feel in a better position to respond to this thread.

It's been a very varied month at SS. Sometimes a series of days with terrific sales, followed inexplicably by a series of exceptionally quiet days. At this stage, iStock has overtaken SS in sales this month for me, which is not a situation I'm used to seeing (usually SS sales are at least three times the amount I make on iStock).

This is just based on normal incomes, and doesn't include Thinkstock.

« Last Edit: March 27, 2012, 01:29 by rubyroo »

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RacePhoto

Now that the month's nearing it's close, I feel in a better position to respond to this thread.

It's been a very varied month at SS. Sometimes a series of days with terrific sales, followed inexplicably by a series of exceptionally quiet days. At this stage, iStock has overtaken SS in sales this month for me, which is not a situation I'm used to seeing (usually SS sales are at least three times the amount I make on iStock).

wut

« Reply #61 on: March 27, 2012, 04:11 »

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This year so far: Jan BME, Feb 2nd BME, Mar: so far BME by over 25%. Everything looks great, I'm more motivated than ever! I've only had 2 shoots this year, but I'm planning 9 in the next couple of months, 3 within a week now. I would have shoot more, but had to wait for certain models, warm weather etc. BTW IS is great too, 3rd BME in a row.

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rubyroo

« Reply #62 on: March 27, 2012, 13:22 »

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@ 'Southern Comfort'.

OK it's just me then... all right you swines, stop stealing my sales.

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rubyroo

« Reply #63 on: March 29, 2012, 00:24 »

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I spoke too soon (even though I waited long!)

I should never have doubted. Normal service has resumed.

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lagereek

« Reply #64 on: March 29, 2012, 01:12 »

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I already reached my BME, two days back, the next couple of days will be the icing on the cake.

I have had a strange moth so far. My total number of sales are indicating that this could be a BME, but the lack of ELs makes this month quite mediocre. (I have had only 1 EL this month, last month I had 9 which is more normal).

So this month isn't that great, but because my regular sales are making new records I'm optimistic about the future (at SS, not microstock generally )

Now I'm hoping that someone would purchase some ELs from me in the next couple of days so this month would turn out to be a BME.

For me, March is doing the opposite of what I expected. It started out weaker than normal, and is closing out extremely strong. Will be another BME by a comfortable margin. Not many ELs at the beginning of the month, but then 12 in the last ten days. SS isn't the only site on the upswing... I'd say it's across the board. Even DT has given me a few ELs this week. This is giving me a more encouraging outlook on April. Normally I dread the March to April drop, but the significant rise this past week suggest the falloff might not be as extreme as normal.

Normally I dread the March to April drop, but the significant rise this past week suggest the falloff might not be as extreme as normal.

Why is that, I mean the April drop? Easter, spring break etc? I'm not long enough in this game to have my own pattern of April sales, but last year April was strong

Was wondering the same about April/Easter. Will the Holiday business closures affect sales or does Easter offer a jump in sales?

Every single year I've been at this, I've seen a significant drop from March to April. It's due to March traditionally being my month that rises the most, and April being pretty awful due to Easter and spring break. I suppose if your port is disproportionately loaded with Easter and spring-related pics you might avoid a drop, but even then most buyers would have made such purchases in the weeks leading up to April, making your drop even worse.